One of the most enduring reporters in Bay Area television history announced Tuesday that he is approaching the finish line.

KTVU’s Lloyd LaCuesta, the station’s South Bay bureau chief and a fixture on breaking news stories for nearly 36 years, will retire June 15.

“I have spent more than half my life at KTVU, which makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye. But it is time,” LaCuesta wrote in a message posted on Facebook. “I need to slow down and truly enjoy life.”

LaCuesta arrived at KTVU in August 1976, according to the station, and over the years has won six Emmy Awards for his reporting.

He reported on the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, the Oakland hills firestorm in 1991, and the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado in 1999, among others.

He also was the first elected national president of the Asian-American Journalists Association, for which he earned a Lifetime Achievement Award. He presided over the Unity Journalists of Color, as well.

“As I end my career, I hope I have helped those who have watched me over the years become better informed and involved citizens,” LaCuesta told KTVU. The station “allowed me to cover events which viewers experienced through my eyes.”

Rick Hurd covers breaking news. Contact him at 925-945-4780. Follow him at Twitter.com/3rderh.

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